Clinical features of bowel disease in patients aged

Background Incidences of colorectal cancer (CRC) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are increasing in those aged Aim To identify and quantify clinical features in primary care of CRC/IBD in those aged Design and setting Matched case-control study using primary care records from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, UK. Method Incident cases (aged Results Ten features were independently associated with CRC/IBD (all P 3% for rectal bleeding with diarrhoea, thrombocytosis, low MCV, low haemoglobin or raised inflammatory markers; for change in bowel habit with low MCV, thrombocytosis or low haemoglobin; and for diarrhoea with thrombocytosis. Conclusion This study quantified the risk of serious bowel disease in symptomatic patients aged